As a girl becomes a teenager; her internal physiological changes and that can bring on several physical and mental manifestations.
Here are a few issues that can concern a teenage girl. Some of these are linked more strongly to social and psychological issues, than to physical health, but can turn into health issues, if not taken care in time.
Weight
Weight features top on any teenage girls mind. Most teenage girls believe that their weight is not appropriate and that they are fat. Unfortunately even the ones in the adequate weight range believe so as well.
As mothers, we have to make sure that they understand that being healthy is the right way to go. This obsession towards weight can be steered in the right manner to inculcate habits of exercise and healthy eating, while closely monitoring to avoid the child from developing eating disorders.
Make sure the child understands the importance of an appropriate body weight and also assist in defining themselves in positive terms, apart from their physical appearance
Skin Problems
Teenage brings the onset of acne, spots and other skin problems. Acne, commonly known as pimples or Zits, is caused when skin pores gets clogged. When the sebaceous glands produce too much oil, the pores get clogged causing build-up of dirt and bacteria. Keeping skin clean and oil free is the first step.
If the problem seems too heavy, schedule a doctor’s visit, sometimes acne is a symptom of hormonal imbalance. If untreated, it can lead to gynaecological problems.
Gynaecological Concerns
The onset of periods brings a lot of changes in a girl. While we do take care in explaining the concept of a period, shedding and body changes, it is also important to explain the concern areas. Up to two or three years into puberty, irregular periods are not considered abnormal. However heavy bleeding, painful periods, heavy discharge, pain in breasts and intimate areas, are not to be ignored, as these can lead to problems at a later stage.
Cervical cancer vaccines are also recommended to be administered around this age after discussing with your doctor.
Urinary Tract Infections or UTI
Many girls have their first UTI during their teens. A UTI is an infection that starts in your urinary system, most commonly in your bladder and urethra. A feeling of incontinence in urination, and burning sensation, are the common symptoms.
However in more severe cases, cramps, fever and backache around the kidney area are also seen. The best way to prevent an UTI is high standards of personal hygiene, especially if the child uses common bathrooms at school, and regularly uses a common swimming pool; and to drink adequate water, to keep the toxins washed out of the system.
Stress
This is very broad spectrum. Poor concentration, inability to focus, falling grades, unexplained anger, or withdrawal from family and friends, are all symptoms that the child is going through some stress. It is important to notice these symptoms in the early stages, and not to ignore them as ‘teenage attitude’. Kids these days have to deal with a lot more than we did. and hence it is important to be clued into their lives, to recognize their pain areas.
Offer Parental Support
Teenage girls need a constant feeling of support from their immediate families of parents and teachers. It is important for us, parents, to create an environment where they feel that they can express themselves, make mistakes without fear, and grow into confident young women.
